QuickBooks Online Migration: Why Some Attachments Don't Transfer
After migrating to QuickBooks Online, users may find attachments missing; here is why it happens and how to manually upload the files that did not carry over.
When a company moves from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, the migration tool attempts to bring transaction-level attachments along with the accounting data. In practice, a portion of those files routinely fail to make the trip. After the migration finishes, users are left with a partial attachment set and little explanation of what went wrong. The migration system does, however, provide a dedicated workspace to review what moved, what failed, and why — and it offers a manual upload path to fill the gaps.
Why Attachments Get Left Behind
The migration engine skips or fails on attachments for a handful of consistent reasons. Understanding which one applies to a missing file determines whether the file is recoverable at all.
Missing local files. The Desktop attachment path is just a pointer to a file stored on the local hard drive. If the original file was moved, renamed, or deleted before the migration ran, the migration tool has nothing to copy. The attachment record may exist in Desktop, but the underlying document is gone.
Unsupported file formats. QuickBooks Online only accepts a specific set of attachment types. Files outside that list are ignored during migration. The supported formats are CSV, DOC, GIF, JPEG, PDF, PNG, TIFF, XLSX, and XML. Anything else — older Office formats, proprietary image types, or miscellaneous extensions — will not transfer.
Corrupted source files. If the attachment file on the local drive is damaged, the migration tool may fail to read or upload it. The file appears in the attachment list, but the content is unreadable.
Unsupported entity types. Not every transaction or list element in Desktop supports attachments in Online. Files linked to sales orders, the chart of accounts, or individual inventory items are not carried over through this migration path. These are structural limitations in how Online handles attachments, not errors in the migration itself.
Reviewing the Migration Results
To see exactly what happened, sign in to the new QuickBooks Online account and navigate to the Migration Hub. The direct URL is .
Within Migration Hub, the Go to Attachments option opens a page listing every document the system attempted to move. For a more detailed view — including the specific failure reason for each file — select Full migration details. This produces an Excel-compatible report showing each attachment and its import status, making it straightforward to identify which files need manual attention.
Manually Uploading Missing Attachments
For files that failed due to a missing link, unsupported format, or corruption on the original drive, the fix is to locate the source file on the local computer and upload it directly. Migration Hub provides an upload area where you can either drag and drop files into the browser window or use the Upload from this device button to browse and select them.
The Bulk Upload Path for Larger Attachment Sets
When dozens or hundreds of attachments failed to transfer, uploading them one at a time is impractical. The migration system supports a bulk alternative using the Desktop attachment folder itself.
To locate that folder, open the company file in QuickBooks Desktop and press F2 (or Ctrl + 1) to open the Product Information window. Under File Information, copy the location path. Open that path in File Explorer and look for the Attach folder — this is where Desktop stores all attachment files organized by transaction.
Right-click the Attach folder and select Compress to → Zip File. Use the Windows native compression only; third-party zip applications can produce archives the migration tool may not parse correctly.
Return to Migration Hub and select Review Attachments, then use the upload link on that page to submit the zip archive. A green checkmark confirms a successful upload. The system then begins mapping the attachments to the correct transactions, a process that can take up to a full day to complete.
There is a size constraint: each zip file must be under 5 GB. For companies with extensive attachment histories, the archive will likely exceed that threshold. The solution is to split the contents into multiple zip files, each under the limit, and upload them one at a time.
Time Constraints
Migration Hub remains accessible for 30 days after the migration completes. After that window closes, the manual upload and review tools are no longer available through that interface. Companies discovering missing attachments weeks later should prioritize the review and upload process before that access expires.